I admit to feeling nostalgic for Noam Chomsky. Chomsky is a controversial figure, but he is also a hero for his writings on consent and conformity, and he was perhaps the most eloquent in denouncing the development of the deep state. He is now 95 years old, suffered a massive stroke last year and can no longer speak. This article is not really about him, but it is inspired by him. Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer electronic money system that works, but the world we have built around it is incredibly alienated and disconnected from the rest of society. We are effectively isolated, and anyone who thinks that this will help adoption is dreaming. I think the room stinks and this small Bitcoin world is not working for Bitcoin.
The irony about the people who love Bitcoin, and I mean really love Bitcoin—the kind of people who would read this article—is that they, or we, think they are immune to propaganda. They believe they are immune to the processes that create permission for decisions that are not their own, and that, if given the chance to consider them independently, they would not approve of.
Bad news. You are not immune. In fact, I think many of the people who call themselves “bitcoiners” today are only “bitcoiners” because they were propagandized into it. There is a whole cultural reproduction machine being built around Bitcoin, and it is incredibly reactionary and, in many ways, intolerant.
For example, putting up an LGBTQ flag with the Bitcoin symbol on it is extremely controversial. It normalizes attacks on people who are trans and queer, who make up far more than 90 percent of the people who own Bitcoin. It normalizes abuse of women.
This cultural reproduction machine comes in the form of popular influencers, often millennial men who spend a lot of time taking pictures of themselves flexing their muscles in front of the mirror. I really wonder how big those muscles have to get to protect the fragile ego that lies hidden beneath those muscle fibers.
These influencers aren’t selling anything real. They’re not selling you a way out of the current system. They’re just giving you a simple story that will help you sleep better at night. You’ll be fine, but remember: all the bad things that happen are because of “money printer go brr” and transgender ideology.
I call it a cultural reproduction machine because I see many more people who have the same narrow-minded, ignorant, and bigoted ideas taking up space. These ideas spread and poison the minds of well-meaning people. I wonder if those who have these ideas can stop for a moment and ask themselves, “Where did these ideas come from? When did I start believing this?” Realize that the stories around you are often constructed in such a way that you think you created them yourself.
If you’re new to Bitcoin, remember that you don’t have to conform to mainstream ideas. You don’t have to be the orange guy who likes the orange coin (or so he claims). You don’t have to eat steak every day and hate seed oils. You don’t have to believe in transgender ideology or hate queer people. You don’t have to have an altar in your garage where you pray to Hayek every night for the day that collectivism is finally wiped off the planet.
The reality is that Bitcoin is for anyone who needs it. Bitcoin is apolitical money. Bitcoin doesn’t need a political party, and Bitcoin doesn’t need states. All Bitcoin needs is for people to use Bitcoin and learn how it works.
Noam Chomsky made some really good points about the problems with society that I still find relevant. American democracy is alienating because it’s not really a democracy. He said that when political systems function without public input, the general population feels marginalized. It’s clear that many of you are here because you feel marginalized by this corporate-run society. It’s normal to react. But don’t let people with loud voices try to convince you to act against your own best interests. Bitcoin wins when we accept each other for who we are. Bitcoin wins when we maintain a healthy skepticism of political leaders and their promises. Bitcoin wins when we organize against the forces that seek to destroy us.
I’m sure I’ve triggered many of you already, but then again, that’s the whole point of this stream-of-consciousness rant. I want you to be triggered. I want others who disagree with you to realize that they are not alone. As suffocating as the bigotry and fascist tendencies are in this space right now, there are still many of us who will not agree.
You are not alone.
This is a guest post by Margot Paez. The opinions expressed are entirely her own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.